


Tempest: Emissary

by Leah Adezio Archivist (offpanel_archivist)



Category: Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1997-01-01
Updated: 1997-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-18 19:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/offpanel_archivist/pseuds/Leah%20Adezio%20Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A proposal Leah submitted to DC comics for a followup to the Tempest miniseries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tempest: Emissary

**Author's Note:**

> This story is archived on behalf of Leah Adezio, who passed away in 2007, by her designated archivist.

Responsibility. Do we supress responsibility for ourselves in the name of being responsible for others?

TEMPEST: EMISSARY is a 48 page one-shot in which Garth is sent by Aquaman to Shayeris to oversee rebuilding of the city (destroyed by Slizzath during the events of Tempest: Prophets & Kings) and in which this theme of responsibility is explored. Garth is ill at ease coming into contact with his mother Berra, who is acting as monarch of the Idylists in his place. Garth grew up believing she was dead, and learning she was alive was very upsetting for him. He still feels great anger at her abandonment. 

Upon his arrival in Shayeris, Garth is surprised to find the Sher’hedeen (the sharkwarrior tribe led by his reluctant ally Letifos) in the Idylist’s valley. He learns they have been hired by the Idylists to be a defensive force for the pacifists’ community, and they are staging a ritual combat called Kan’e’ess to determine the leader of the tribe.

Against a background of political intrigue, Garth must come to terms with his mother and with growing unrest between Sher’hedeen factions, each with their own goals, both for themselves and for the unwitting Idylists. He must also deal with a young noblewoman who is being manipulated into seducing him into taking his hereditary role as King of the Idylists.

The key players are:

Tempest (Garth), torn between doing his duty as Ambassador from Poseidonis and getting as far away from his mother as possible. When Shayeran councilpeople secretly approach him about taking his ‘rightful place’ as their monarch, will he succumb to their wishes, or will he remember Atlan’s mandate to be the protector of all the people of the undersea. Will he be able to stop the Sher’hedeen rebellion?

Berra, Queen of the Idylists, wants nothing more than to have a relationship with the son she was forced to abandon at birth. Is she naive in believing she can have this after more than two decades?

Letifos of the Sher’hedeen is forced into competing for her tribe’s leadership. She recognizes the need for cooperation between her people and the other undersea communities against common enemies. Will she accept responsibility for the leadership of the tribe, or will she allow Qu’tlu to carry out his plans so she can maintain her personal freedom?

Qu’tlu of the Sher’hedeen is the leader of a rebelling faction. Will he use any means possible to take over not only his own tribe but the Shayerans, even if it means destroying his own tribespeople to do it?

Tempest must use all his resources, including powers that in many ways are still new to him, to determine not only what his fate, but the fates of all the parties involved, will be. He will have to combat the vicious warrior Qu’tlu to save the Shayerans from being overthrown by warriors they thought they could trust, and to make sure Letifos has a fair shot at becoming the leader of the Sher’hedeen. He will have to use his wits to outsmart the Shayeran Councilmen, even as he fights temptation as embodied by the sweet smile and beguiling green eyes of Lady Katlin, to give them what they want: Garth as King. He is also forced to confront his feelings of anger and abandonment towards his mother; coming to terms with her point of view and perhaps allowing the seeds of a relationship with her to be planted.

When Qu’tlu’s rebel warriors make their stand during the Kan’e’ess ceremony, Tempest battles them in ferocious combat that pits him against the tribesmen and the tribesmen against each other. With his powers over heat, cold and current, along with a display of a yet-unseen powers including personal telepathy, a massive projective telepathic strike...and perhaps summoning a demon or two, he defeats the vicious Qu’tlu and returns the Sher’hedeen to their original goal: protecting the Idylists.

With victory achieved, the Shayeran Council again approaches Garth about replacing his mother on the throne. Realizing his true destiny is to be the Protector of all the people of the undersea, he declines. He departs, leaving Letifos as the leader of the Sher’herdeen. Before he leaves, he promises to return to the Hidden Valley from time to time. After all, there is a certain green-eyed Lady whom he thinks he’d like to return to see.

Since the 1996 Tempest mini-series and the revival of the Titans title, interest in this character continues to grow. TEMPEST: EMISSARY continues in the tradition of these titles by giving the DC fan base further exposure to a character who gains popularity daily. This writer, with long-time exposure to the Aquaman cast of characters (including being called upon by writers such as Christopher Priest to provide historical background for Total Justice), as well as working as a writer/illustrator for several years in the small press arena, is uniquely qualified to take the development of DC’s newest young mage/adventurer to the next level.


End file.
